As is well known, a knock-type mechanical pencil in which a cap as a knock cover is detachably attached to a rear end portion of a body cylinder. As this cap is knocked in the axial direction, a writing lead (refill lead) accommodated in a lead case within a body cylinder is gradually inched out of a base member at a tip end side of the body cylinder by the action of a lead fixing chuck and a holder chuck.
In this case, when the writing lead is consumed and another writing lead is supplied, the above-mentioned cap is removed and the new writing lead is supplied to a feeding unit at a rear end portion of the lead case, and it is necessary to reattach the above-mentioned cap to the rear end portion of the body cylinder. Further, in addition to attachment/detachment operation of the above-mentioned cap, attachment/detachment operation of an eraser is also needed in the mechanical pencil in which the eraser is provided within the above-mentioned cap.
After supplying the writing lead, by repeating the knock operation of the above-mentioned reattached cap, the supplied writing lead is gradually inched out of a writing lead outlet of a pipe end projecting from the base member, for example, thus resulting in a situation where writing is allowed.
As described above, according to the conventional knock-type mechanical pencil, after recognizing that the writing lead has been consumed, a new writing lead is supplied. Thus, removal or reattachment of the cap and a number of knock operations are needed until the writing lead is inched out in order to allow writing again, which is troublesome for anybody.
Then, the present applicant has proposed previously a mechanical pencil in which removal or reattachement of the cap can be omitted when supplying the writing lead, which is disclosed in Patent Document 1.